Good morning,

Now that Attorney General Ken Paxton has been acquitted and returned to office, there are new calls for House Speaker Dade Phelan – who orchestrated the impeachment – to resign or be forced from office. In the One Click Survey, we ask your opinion.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, Sept. 18, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

After Paxton Acquittal, Dan Patrick Demands Audit of House

• Following the Senate's acquittal of Attorney General Ken Paxton of all impeachment charges leveled by the Democrats in the GOP-run House, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is demanding a full audit of the chamber's spending. Brandon Waltens has the details.
       
• Patrick said the House's "flawed" process resulted in a secretive impeachment investigation that cost "millions" in taxpayer resources.
          
• “We will provide our costs as well that were forced on us by the House impeachment. One big difference is that the Senate did not pay a huge team of outside lawyers and investigators,” said Patrick.
        
• The Texas House hired more than a dozen outside lawyers, paying many $500 per hour, to prosecute the case in the Senate.
       
• In the end, a large majority of the Senate rejected each impeachment article. Only Republican senators Kelly Hancock of North Richland Hills and Robert Nichols of Jacksonville sided with Democrats in seeking Paxton's ouster.

Trump Calls For Phelan's Resignation

• Conservative members of the Texas House began calling for Dade Phelan to resign from the speakership following the Senate's acquittal of Attorney General Ken Paxton. 
       
• State Reps. Brian Harrison, Steve Toth, and Tony Tinderholt all issued statements on Saturday urging Phelan to step down or be removed.
        
• Meanwhile, Donald Trump – who has been a strong supporter of Paxton – issued a statement demanding that "Phelan resign after pushing this Disgraceful Sham!"

Tarrant County GOP Supports Phelan Censure

• Tarrant County Republican Party activists adopted a resolution supporting the censure of Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan for violating the principles of the Texas GOP. Erin Anderson has the story.

            
• The Tarrant County resolution supports the official censure of Phelan passed by the Orange County GOP in July and will be sent to the State Republican Executive Committee.

San Antonio Council Approves Abortion Travel Fund

• Taxpayers in San Antonio will now be forced to pay the travel expenses of women seeking an abortion outside of Texas, reports Emily Medeiros.
       
• The city council voted last week to approve the Reproductive Justice Fund, which will distribute $500,000 to various nonprofits providing “reproductive healthcare.” 

School District Rejects Constitution, Then Changes Course

• Ahead of the Constitution Day observances this week in Texas government schools, Leander Independent School District rejected a donation of pocket constitutions for the district’s 8th graders. As Sydnie Henry reports, they did so on the grounds that it violated the district's policy on political neutrality.
      
• When word leaked about the rejected donation, public pressure was brought to bear and district officials backtracked.
       
• According to Texas Education Code 29.907, government schools should celebrate “Freedom Week” during the week of September 17th. The purpose of “Freedom Week” is “to educate students about the sacrifices made for freedom in the founding of this country and the values on which this country was founded.”
      
• The 917 Society is a non-profit organization that provides pocket constitutions to 8th-grade students nationwide. Due to its non-profit status, the organization does not “align with, endorse, or support any particular political candidate, organization, party, or platform.” The name "917" refers to Sept. 17, 1787, when the Constitution was signed.
        
• LISD initially rejected the donation, saying doing so would violate district policy. 
        
• When Texas Scorecard contacted LISD about their rejection of the donation, the assistant director of communications announced a reversal of the decision. He said there was "some internal confusion and misapplication of district policy."

Today In History

On Sept. 18, 1793, President George Washington laid the ceremonial cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol. The building would not be complete for almost a century.

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Lawmakers and grassroots activists are calling for House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign or be forced from office over his role in the impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Senate exonerated Paxton over the weekend and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the flawed process employed by Phelan should never have taken place.

If Phelan does not resign, should Republican House members expel him from office when the planned special session on school choice convenes next month?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!